Method of severing pin type connectors from strips thereof



June 24, 1958 Q. BERG 2,839,824

- METHOD OF SEVE NG PIN TYPE CONNECTORS M IFS REOF Origi Filed Ma 0 24, 1950 Mnrnon onsnvnnmo PIN TYPE (1 Original application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,795, now Patent No. 2,178,097, dated January 22, 1957. Divided and this application February .27, 1956, Serial 3 Claims. c1; 2 944 7 A This invention relates in general to the method and apparatus for applying. plug-in connectors to wire leads and, more specifically to an improved'method of severing the lead connector froma strip of such, connectors in a manner to shape the end thereof to the desired configuration, and is a division of my copending application,

U te aw nt}? Serial No. 151, 795, filed March 24, 1950, now Patent No. 2,778,097, dated January 22, 1 957. Wireleads, each having at each end a plug-in connector, especially-of the smaller or pin type sizes, are used extensively, for example, in making the requirednumerous electrical connections in complicated, electrically-operated tabulating machines or the like, a comparatively large number of such leads being usually required for a single machine.

To facilitate the inserting of such connectors intotheappropriate terminal sockets and the establishmentof good electrical connections, it is important that the entering end of each plug or pin be substantially perfectly smooth and preferably rounded. Formerly such pins or plugs were made upon screw machines and a ferrule, at

tached to one end of the pin or plug, was used to connect the pin to the bared. end of the lead wire. It is likewise important that the pin portions con'vergeuniformly from the ferrule to the socket entering end. of the pin.

One object of the present invention ;is to make such plugs or pins, with integral insulation piercing ferrules, by stamping up out of sheet metal the pin ends of the :connectors being shaped into substantially as satisfactory final operative form as'with-those madeby screw machines.

Another objectofthe invention is'to. so make such plugs .or pins that they canbe supplied; integrally connected in strips with the ferrule ends leftzopen upon oneside to receive the ends of the lead wires. and thus facilitate the assembling of the leadsand the insulation piercing or contact makingaction, and with the opposite shaped ends satisfactorily smooth fortheiriintended use after severing from the strip. a

A further object of the invention is. the provision of an improved method for insuringa substantially smooth socket-entering end on the taper pin or plug. afterthe connector has been severed from the succeedingiconnector of the strip. i

Other objects, important features and advantages of the invention, to which reference has not specificallybeen made hereinabove will appear hereinafter when the following description and claims are considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view, somewhat enlarged, of

the novel connector strip of the present invention showing the plug orpin portion uniformly converging or tapering from ferrule to the end or tip;

Figure 2 is a view showing one of the finished connectors afterithasbeen applied to the unstripped end of an insulatedlead' wire and been detached from the partially completed connector strip;

Figure? is a perspective detail of theessential opera-tiye elements of the applicator," 1

, Figure 4 is a longitudinal section: through the meshanismshown in Figure 3, with the parts in the positions which. they: assume just before. the connector is applied to'the leadwire, and with parts broken away;

Figure 5 is a sectional. detail on the same? section as FigurelAbut showing the position of the parts at a later stage of their operation ju st as the connector applying operation'is completed;

Figure 6, is a horizontal section showing the connector endwiping die which cooperates with the shear plate, and

Figure 7iis a view of a contact socket ferrule and of a connector about to be inserted in thesocket, the purpose of this view being to illustrate the importance of providing the connector with a smooth socket entering end.

As just pointed out in the description of Figure 7, it is important that the taper pin connectors 2 which are to be applied to the circuit completing lead wires 4 have the socket-entering end.6 smooth and preferably rounded, asshown in Figure 7 or conical, so that there will be no excrescence on this. end which might interfere with its easy insertioninto the socket. Such sockets. 9, in one important use as shown, are mounted in panels of insulation 8 and are usually provided with connectorguiding troughs 10v on the end of the metal ferrules 9 which are open. at the .topand spread laterally at 11. If the end .ferrule. end ofv the next connector throughout the strip,

these connectors being stamped up from sheet metal, the lateral edges of the pin forming portions of the blank istripbeing shaped to form in the meeting of said shaped edges a pin uniformly converging from end to end thereof and. the pin ends being substantially completed,

as shown, except ..for the integral connecting short strip 12 which, connects the center of the pin end of one connector to the. ferrule of the next, the strip 12 being integral also. with the. ferrule of the next connector. in shaping the socket entering end 6 of the connector in the manufacture of the connector strip, it will be seen that this end has beenroundedoveron all sides'into approximately its finished: condition exceptfor this connecting strip 12 which projects from the'rounded over tip of the pin, in this case from a point substantially opposite the tapering meeting. edges 14 14 in the blank. This strip must, there- ,fore,.be severed both from. the tip of the connector being appliedv and from the ferrule of the, next connector in the process of applying theconnector to the lead wire 4. To facilitate the application of the ferrule end 16 of forming-era good electrical connection between. the connector andthe lead. wire, the ferrule end 16 of the connector, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 is left open on top, thatv is,.tlie' edges14' of the ferrule part of the connector are left upstanding or even flared out and then crimped down after. the wire is inserted to meet and form the completed ferrule. a

'In order to make a suitable electric connection between the connector and the insulated lead wire, insulation piercing..te,th 18 are punched up on the inner face of the ferrule. 16 into such. a position that they will engage and pierce the insulation of the unstripped' end of the lead wire 4 and. thus. be forced into goodelectrical contact with the leadwi're when theupturned edges .14 of theferrule are curleddown into meeting relation to each other and the ferrule f16 is crimped into" gripping relation to the lead wire" end; Not only do theinsulation piercing teeth 18 v- LL/"2,839,82

insure the desired good electrical connection between the connector and the lead wire, but, when the ferrule is this applicator in timed relation:

(1) The strip 12 of connectors 2--16 is first fed forward between the guide plates 19 until the end connector is in the position shown in Figure 3, just beyond that shown in Figure 4.

(2) The press head (not shown) moves down carrying V the crimping die 24; the shear plate 30 and the, pusher plate 42. As plate 30 moves down the inner edges of the part 34 guide or cam the connecting strip 14 into accurately centered position with respect to the forming notch 48. At the same time the backs of these curved portions 34 (as shown in Figure 4) engage the end edges of the ferrule 16 and cam them for shearing off the strip 12.

(3) Further movement of the press head brings the shear plate 30 at the end of recess 36 into contact with the strip 12; and at about the same instant the crimping die 24 engages the ferrule portion 14' of the connector2.

(4) As the shear plate 30 begins to shear through the strip 12, the pusher 42 engages the tip of pin 2 and thus shears strip 12 at the tip 6 of pin 2, the strip 12 being thus put under tension as it is pushed down over the back to a precise position 15! edge of the anvil shear plate 44. At this same time the crimping dies 22 and 24 are engaging the ferrule -16 more and more tightly.

(5) When the shearing of strip 12 is complete, one piece 38 thereof being pushed out between shear anvil 26 and anvil 44 and another piece 46 being pushed up into the recess 54 of plate'42 from which it is blown out, the ferrule 16 has become sufiiciently engaged in the crimping dies 22-24 to resist longitudinal movement.

(6) Final movement of the press completes the crimping of the ferrule, with some longitudinal extrusion of its metal. Both this extrusion and the swinging of the pin from the position shown in full lines in Figure 4 to that indicated in broken lines, serve to press the tip 6 into the forming notch 48, so as by friction to burnish the end of the tip and form it in curved portion 50.

Thus the connector ferrule is crimped upon the unstripped end of the lead wire and the insulation piercing points 18 driven into good electrical contact with the wire; and, while the ferrule end 16 of the connector is held in the ferrule crimping dies the connecting strip 12 between it and the next connector is punched out in two pieces, one end of this section being sheared close to the end of the ferrule of the next connector and the other end being cut off close to the end 6 of the pin part of the connector which is being applied. Following the punching out of the connecting strip 12, the sheared end 6 is'subjected to a frictional wiping or burnishing step to insure the smoothing down of any portion of the connector that may still have been left attached to the end '6 after the shearing operation. 1

The connector strip is fed, by any suitable feeding mechanism, ferrule end first, so that the ferrules of the successive connectors ofthe connector strip are brought successively into crimping relation to lower and upper crimping dies 22 and 24. When the ferrule is in'crimping relation to the dies 22 and 24, the end of the next ferrule of the strip will be pressed against the rear face of the shearing plate 30 by a springdetent 31 engaging one of the connectors 2 in the strip being fed. Thus the shearing is accurately related to the end edge of ferrule 16. A punch opening 28 shaped to receiveco operating shear connector.-

' simultaneous.

.H j V plate 30 serves as a. precision guide for the shear plate.

The 'plate' 30, as-shown, has an opening 32 that straddles the strip 12 before shearing off and punching out a portion thereof, the lower part of the slot in the punch 30 being somewhat wide'r'than the strip of connectors,-

into the forming notch-48 with such endwise pressure that the part of strip 12 still attached to the end 6 is forged into the tip 6 conforming to the shape of the notch 48. In the embodiment shown, the bottom edge of the pusher 42 is at about 92 with its face thus making it approximately tangent to the surface of the pin 2 which it contacts. The wiping action as the tip 6 is pushed down into notch '48, insures the smooth rounded surface on end 6 of the The opening 52 between the inturned edges allows such flow of metal as may be necessary when any part of the strip 12 that may still remain attached to the connector end is forged into the tip. a

To provide for the discharge of the pieces 46 sheared ofl from the successive pin ends 6 the sizing punch 42 is provided on its rear face with a recess 54 into which these pieces 46 may be received and from which they are discharged laterally, e. g., by an air blast.

It will be understood that the operations of the shear plate 30 and of the pusher plate 42 need not=be a distinct or marked succession, but may be substantially narrow tongue, including the steps of disposing the tongue across the edge of a shear blade in offset relation to the face of the shear blade, shearing the tongue and moving the pin nose relatively across'the face of the shear blade in a direction to wipe the sheared portion toward the longitudinal'axis of the pin while compressing the end of the connector opposite .the pin end to extrude longitudinally metal of the pin to press the moving pin nose against the shear blade face thus to burnish the sheared portion. e

' 2. The method of-severing pin type connectors from a strip in which successive connectors are joined by a narrow tongue-comprising the steps of disposing the tongue across the edge of a shear blade, securing against movement away from the face of the shear blade the end of the connector opposite the pin end with the pin disposed 'insloping. position relativeto the face of the shear blade,

moving the sheared portion over the face of a shear blade while it is pressed longitudinally against the blade to burnish the sheared area, the end of the connector opposite the pin end being secured while the pin is in a sloping position relative to the shear blade face and the pin .is pushed into a perpendicular position by sliding its tip across the face while its opposite end is secured.

References Cited in the file'of this patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,507,916 Granat Sept. 9, 1924 1,976,929 Elliott Oct. 16, 1934 ,494,137 Martines Jan. 10, 1959 

